Anorexia Nervosa: Diagnostic Tests

Obligatory medical device diagnostics.

  • Electrical impedance analysis (measurement of body compartments/body composition) – to determine body fat, extracellular body mass (blood and tissue fluid), body cell mass (muscle and organ mass), and total body water including body mass index (BMI, body mass index) and waist-to-hip ratio (THV).
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG; recording of the electrical activity of the heart muscle) – if cardiac arrhythmia, bradycardia (too slow heartbeat: < 60 beats per minute), hypertension (high blood pressure) is suspected.
  • Abdominal sonography (ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs) – to exclude tumors.
  • Measurement of blood pressure and pulse and body temperature

Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.

  • Echocardiography (echo; cardiac ultrasound) – for suspected pericardial effusion (pericardial effusion).
  • Computed tomography of the skull (cranial CT, cranial CT or cCT) – if pseudoatrophia cerebri (apparent loss of brain mass) is suspected.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull (cranial MRI, cranial MRI or cMRI) – if pseudoatrophia cerebri is suspected.
  • Encephalogram (EEG; recording of the electrical activity of the brain) – to exclude organic causes when drinking large amounts of fluid.
  • Gastroscopy (gastroscopy) – if esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) is suspected.
  • Osteodensitometry (bone densitometry) – in longer duration of disease to exclude osteoporosis (bone loss).